Crafty Kuldeep Yadav to the four as Delhi restrict Kolkata to 146-9

DC’s wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav celebrates a KKR wicket. Pic/BCCI; IPL

Kuldeep Yadav will be Cloud Nine after his performance against Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday. It is for the second time in this IPL that the left-arm wrist spinner has claimed four wickets against his former team.

Kuldeep, who had figures of 4-35 against the same opponents in their April 10 fixture at Brabourne Stadium, registered his best IPL figures of 4-14 in three overs on Thursday as Delhi Capitals restricted KKR to 146-9 in 20 overs at the Wankhede Stadium. It has been a fine revival for Kuldeep, who has now taken 17 wickets in eight games in IPL-15. This, after not getting to play a single game in the India leg of the last IPL. He was subsequently ruled out of the second leg due to injury.

Kuldeep's statistics against KKR are compelling. He has taken eight wickets this season in the two matches against his former team - a far cry from just five in 14 games during the three seasons he was with them. In his first over, Kuldeep dismissed debutant Baba Indrajith (6) and Sunil Narine (0) off consecutive deliveries. He then accounted for the KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer (42) and the dangerous Andre Russell (0).

Indrajith stepped out early only to be holed out at long-on. Narine was beaten by the googly. Shreyas chased a googly that hit the bottom of his bat, edging it to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. Russell charged down the track, only to miss the ball completely and end up being stumped. At the time of going to press, DC were 66-2 in eight overs. DC lost opener Prithvi Shaw on the first ball of the innings.

Brief scores
KKR 146-9 (N Rana 57, S Iyer 42; K Yadav 4-14, M Rahman 3-18) v DC (scores incomplete)